Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) chips can include multiple layers including a via layer. The via layer can include dielectric trenches used to form electrodes for sensing characteristics of the MEMS device within the MEMS chip. Such trenches are referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 7,539,003. The dielectric trenches can have significant shunt capacitance that can degrade performance of the MEMS device, such as MEMS devices used for capacitive sensing or radio frequency (RF) applications.